


Eighty-Three Percent

by distantglory



Category: Free!
Genre: Gen, Gou is long-suffering, Haru is an awkward matchmaker, Haru-watching is practically a date activity, M/M, Makoto is a Mama Bear, Nagisa ships Rinharu, Nagisa will take any opportunity to demand affection, Rin should not use Australian slang because it WILL be misunderstood, everyone is wondering why Rin and Haru haven't gotten it together yet, so does Nitori, spoilers for High Speed!, teasers for fics I plan to write in future
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-08
Updated: 2014-02-14
Packaged: 2017-12-22 19:34:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 100
Words: 9,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/917212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/distantglory/pseuds/distantglory
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Drabble collection! Mostly Makisa, occasionally implied Rinharu, plenty of gen. Expect lots of fluff and occasional angst. Most chapters stand alone, and expansions can be requested!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. On the Outside

“Mako-chan?”

Makoto doesn’t turn around. How can he look at the smile on Haru’s face - the smile Rin put there - and feel jealousy? How can he look at the way that Nagisa hangs off Rei’s arm, chattering freely, and feel cold?

But he’s so tired of being the third wheel, and he doesn’t know how to explain. He doesn’t _want_ to explain; he’s disgusted with himself.

But Nagisa doesn’t ask for explanations. He slides his arms under Makoto’s, wraps them tightly around Makoto’s middle. Presses his warm forehead between Makoto’s shoulder blades.

“You still matter, Mako-chan,” he says.


	2. The Way to Makoto's Heart

Makoto balks when Nagisa tries to drag him into the alley, and the smaller boy pouts at him.

“Come _on_ , Mako-chan,” he whines. “You promised.”

“I didn’t know you wanted me to come back _here_ ,” protests Makoto. He eyes the alley nervously, thick with shadows at mid-afternoon.

Nagisa’s pout increases. “Fi-ine,” he says. “I’ll go get her myself.” He disappears into the darkness before Makoto can demand exaplanation.

His questions are answered when Nagisa emerges with a tiny ball of fur, which unrolls and looks at Makoto with brilliant blue eyes. Makoto melts, and Nagisa looks smug.


	3. Dawn Brigade

Makoto huddled deeper into his jumper, pulling the sleeves down over his hands. It was still dark outside, and the cold felt like needles.

“Are you okay, Nagisa?” he asked.

“I’m fine.” Nagisa bounced, his borrowed jumper flapping like skirts. “Look!” He pointed out to the horizon, where streaks of light were beginning to appear. The black sky slowly lightened to blue, and Nagisa sighed happily. “Isn’t it beautiful?” he said, looking back at Makoto.

Makoto looked at his friend. Nagisa’s cheeks were flushed from cold and his eyes were bright with excitement. 

The older boy smiled. “Yeah, it’s beautiful.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At some point I'd like to expand some drabbles into proper one-shots. So if you have a favourite, or you see an idea you'd like developed, be sure to drop me a line.


	4. Late

Rin would have given him a hard time (if they were still friends).

Haru would just look at him, somehow irritated without actually changing his face (and one day Nagisa was going to figure out how he did that).

Gou would glare at him (well, of course she would - she was Rin’s sister).

Rei would give him a lecture on the importance of punctuality, and then list strategies to avoid lateness in future (Rei-chan always tried to be helpful).

But when Nagisa turned up late, panting from his sprint, Makoto only smiled and said, “I’m glad you made it.”


	5. Surrogate Parents

Haru had always been weird. But this? This was taking it to a whole new level.

_This_ was Nagisa and Makoto each holding one of his arms and exerting more force than should have been necessary in order to keep the other boy out of a decorative fountain. Nagisa would have thought it was funny, if this hadn’t been the third time in a single morning. (And how did Haru-chan get out of his clothes so quickly, anyway?)

“We’re not his _friends_ ,” panted Nagisa when Haru yielded to Makoto’s desperate pleading and stopped struggling. “We’re his _parents_.”

Makoto choked.

 


	6. Consequences

“Here.” A broad palm held out two white pills. “Take these. They’ll help.”

Nagisa whimpered, but took them. When the hand presented a glass of water, he took that too. He managed to swallow the tablets, though he dribbled water all over his chest.

It felt _so good_ on his hot skin.

The hand removed the water before Nagisa could pour the rest of it over himself, and the blond whined a protest. Makoto put the glass on the bedside table, looking sympathetic but amused.

“Run a cool bath and soak,” he advised. “Maybe next time, you’ll remember your sunscreen.”


	7. Encouragement

Nagisa didn’t notice Makoto right away. First there was Rin, with his power; then there was Haru, with his grace. They were so cool!

He didn’t notice Makoto until the day he decided to start running.

Nagisa was halfway across the bridge and watching Haru recede into the distance when a bicycle rode up beside him.

“Keep going!” called the boy on the bike, slowing until he could keep pace. “You can do it!”

The boy cheered him on all the way back to Nagisa’s house, and Nagisa decided that he wanted to be friends with Makoto more than _anything_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That little bit of High Speed! gave me a lot of feels.


	8. Terrible Trio

Makoto stretched out on his bedroom floor and stared at the ceiling, the wood under him cool and reassuringly solid.

He couldn't remember ever being this tired.

His brother and sister, he could handle. Nagisa, he could handle. But his brother and sister plus Nagisa?

As though the thought had summoned them, three heads peeked around the doorway. Three pairs of wide eyes peered at him.

"I think we broke onii-chan," whispered Ren.

"No we didn't!" Brief pause. "Did we?"

"Mako-chan? Are you broken?"

Makoto groaned and closed his eyes. It was going to be a long afternoon.


	9. Illusions

Nagisa had never felt so bad about beating someone.

Okay, it was just cards - just a way to pass the time - but when Nagisa played the hand that pushed Makoto out of the game, the older boy drooped like a wilting plant. He gazed mournfully at his cards, as though they had betrayed his trust.

Nagisa wondered whether it was possible to take his move back. Anything to take that look off Makoto's face - not angry, just accepting and dejected.

Haru stretched out one leg and kicked Makoto's thigh.

"Stop that," he said flatly. "Your sad dog look is cheating."


	10. Notice

“You’re worrying about Haru-chan again.”

Makoto blinked and looked up from his homework. “How did you know?”

Nagisa got up from his bed and leaned over his friend. “You get a little wrinkle just --” cool fingers touched Makoto’s forehead, “there. If you don’t stop thinking so much, Mako-chan, it might become permanent!”

It was such an absurd thing to say. No...it was so odd to be the one that someone else was concerned about. Makoto swallowed, mouth suddenly dry. “I don’t know how to stop,” he said. 

Nagisa smiled. “Let me help,” he said, and leaned in.


	11. Adjustment

Nagisa poked Makoto’s side. “Mako-chaaaaaaaan,” he whined. “Wake up.”

Makoto’s response was a sleepy murmur. Nagisa pouted. It was only half past nine! It was too early to sleep!

But somehow, he couldn’t bring himself to try waking Makoto again. The older boy looked completely relaxed, which he never did when he was awake, and there was a sweet smile on his face, like he was having nice dreams.

Mako-chan was _cute_ when he was sleeping.

Nagisa abandoned his plans for the night, settled down beside his friend, and began to run his fingers through Makoto’s short hair.


	12. Shelter

The door opened, allowing the sound of driving rain into the hallway, and Nagisa dived for Makoto.

“It’s freezing!” he complained, huddling against the older boy’s side.

“What happened to your blazer?” asked Makoto, then yelped as Nagisa ducked underneath his. Nagisa’s shirt was soaked from the rain - no wonder he was so cold!

“My sister spilled nail polish on it,” said Nagisa, shivering. “And I couldn’t find my coat before I had to leave.” He turned into Makoto’s chest. “At least Mako-chan is nice and warm...” he said, nuzzling closer. 

Makoto felt a blush creeping up his face.


	13. Fashion Sense

Nagisa kicks his feet in the pool. Practice had been a complete disaster - again - but at least Rei-chan thought he had a solution to his swimming problem.

“So Rei borrowed that Speedo from you, huh?” 

Nagisa turns. Makoto, already changed, is standing just behind him.

“Yeah...he didn’t have one of his own. Why? What’s wrong with it?” asks Nagisa, eyes narrowing. 

Makoto hums thoughtfully. “I don’t think there’s anything _technically_ wrong with it, but...” His smile grows teasing. “Maybe Rei isn’t the only one who needs a new swimsuit.”

He only narrowly avoids being pulled into the pool.


	14. Learning Curve

Rei is currently not speaking to Nagisa, and there’s an angry stiffness to him that means the obsessive stretching might actually be useful today. 

Makoto pulls Nagisa aside as they start practice.

“What happened?” he asks. 

Nagisa looks upset, but also faintly annoyed. “Rei-chan is upset because I rode a spinning chair down the hallway during lunch and we nearly got caught.”

Makoto sighs, because that isn’t even in the top ten of rule-breaking things that Nagisa has been involved in. He pats his friend’s shoulder.

“Rei will forgive you,” he says.

What Makoto means is, _he’ll learn_.


	15. Model

“Ah - Ran -”

His little sister looks up from her work. Nagisa smiles brightly. Makoto just hovers, not sure what to do. Ran has recently discovered cosmetics, and has been searching for a suitable test subject. It looks like she found one, but -

Her victim looks more like he just came out of a fight than anything else.

At least his hair - given a little extra curl and clipped neatly out of his face - looks good.

“It’s okay, Mako-chan,” says Nagisa. “My sister used to do this to me all the time.”

Makoto doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry.


	16. Peaceful

Haru is a cat magnet. Rei theorizes that it has something to do with the affinity for fish.

Whatever the reason, Haru - showing more patience than Makoto would have believed - is showing Gou where a silver tabby likes to be scratched. Rei is holding a staring contest with a ginger tom that perched on his leg and refused to be budged. Nagisa, lying on his stomach, dangles a ribbon for the white kitten. The tiny creature pounces and somersaults, and Nagisa’s laughter flows over the scene. 

Makoto settles back, careful not to disturb his lapful of purring calico, and smiles.


	17. Aftermath

“This is your fault.”

“Stop _picking_ on me, Haru-chan,” moaned Nagisa. “I didn’t _mean_ to tell them.”

“We would have had to tell them anyway,” said Makoto, still defensively hunched.

“Not like that,” insisted Haru. 

“I was half-asleep! It was cheating!”

“It would only be cheating if they were doing it deliberately.”

As Haru and Nagisa bickered, Makoto turned to Rei. “Are you alright?”

“I never knew they could be so scary...” muttered Rei.

The bickering fell silent. All four shuddered. That was one thing they could agree on: when angry, Gou-chan and Ama-sensei were _terrifying_.


	18. Dare

It was meant to be a peck on the cheek. Makoto knew he shouldn’t have chosen ‘dare’, but he’d trusted Haru not to ask him to do anything _too_ humiliating. 

But Nagisa had clearly had different ideas of what ‘kiss Nagisa’ should mean. And Makoto - well. He couldn’t be blamed for going along with it, could he? He’d had a crush on Nagisa for some time now - not that anyone knew. 

When he and Nagisa finally broke apart, panting, Haru’s expression hadn’t changed at all. “Good,” he said. “Now you can stop worrying that he likes Rei more than you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Matchmaker Haru? Matchmaker Haru. (Rei was there too. He was just too flustered to speak.)


	19. Crazy

Makoto winced as the three would-be bullies slunk off.

“It worked,” Haru pointed out.

“Well, yes, but -”

Nagisa turned on his friend, eyes huge and betrayed. “You didn’t have to agree with them, Rei-chan!”

Rei took a step backwards. “I did not. They were clearly implying that your manic tendencies were due to psychological problems, whereas I -”

The small crowd, which had been showing signs of dispersing, was reforming. Makoto sighed and covered his face with one hand. Someone was going to have to break this up, and it looked like it would have to be him. 

Again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rei's awkwardness is almost a superpower.


	20. Splinters

“Hand.”

“Haru, it’s fine -”

“ _Hand_.”

Makoto eyed Haru’s implacable face and resigned himself to having the splinters removed - though not without a final, imploring look, which Haru ignored completely.

“You shouldn’t go along with him all the time,” said Haru, bending to his task.

Makoto remembered eyes shining with excitement and an exuberant grin, and familiar warmth spread through his chest. He swallowed.

“He’s a friend,” he said - then yelped as Haru yanked one of the splinters from his palm and gave him a censorious look.

Makoto couldn’t tell whether it was for the sound he made, or his lie.


	21. Realization

Nagisa remembers his realization: remembers being ten and surfacing from his laps to find Makoto waiting for him.

“That was really good, Nagisa-kun.” Makoto extended his hand, like he did for Haru. “Coming out?”

Nagisa beamed - “Sure!” - and took it. 

Something electric bolted down his arm. Stunned, Nagisa let go - falling back into the pool with a splash and spluttering as he surfaced. _What was_ that?

“Nagisa! Are you alright?”

Nagisa looked up. Makoto’s eyes were wide and worried, and something warm fizzed in Nagisa’s stomach.

_Oh._

“I’m fine,” he said, and gave his biggest smile. “Help me out?”


	22. Beggar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Teaser for a planned fic set in the ending!AU. Street kid Nagisa and merchant's son Makoto.

It’s the food smells that are hardest to bear. Nagisa is so hungry that his stomach _hurts_ , and it’s hard not to cry from it. 

Even though he sniffs, a few tears still escape.

“Hello?”

He’s wedged himself into a niche where adults can’t reach him. But it’s not an adult standing there; it’s a boy, and he’s holding out some bread.

It’s probably a trick, but Nagisa is too hungry to care. He snatches it and waits for something awful to happen.

But the only thing that happens is that the boy smiles at him before he walks away.


	23. Chapter 23

Makoto has a vice grip on Nagisa’s shoulders as they enter the ‘haunted’ house. Nagisa pats the his forearm reassuringly.

“It’s okay, Mako-chan,” he says. “If there really was a ghost -”

Makoto whimpers.

“- I’d protect you.” 

The older boy _almost_ relaxes - then tenses up again. “You mix up salt and sugar.”

Nagisa scowls. “Well, they look very similar!” Besides, that was only _one_ time. He taste-tests his purification salt now.

Makoto just continues to cling. And really, Nagisa would be lying if he said he wasn’t enjoying it. Watching Makoto trying to hide behind him was _so_ cute.


	24. A Different Approach

Nagisa breezes past Makoto when the taller boy opens the door, shedding shoes and jacket in one complicated motion.

“I stopped by Haru-chan’s,” he says. “He’s not in the bath; he’s in the living room doing his homework. And I left him some rice. So -”

That’s as far as he gets before Makoto, overwhelmed, kisses him.

Because it doesn’t matter that the rice will mostly likely end up rotting in Haru’s fridge, or that the bath will certainly see use before the afternoon is over. The point is that Nagisa tried to assuage Makoto’s worries.

And that means everything.


	25. Cancer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angst ahead.

Haru’s last instruction, before he lets Nagisa go in, is, “Don’t tell him.”

Nagisa doesn’t question how Haru knows. And if anything, he’s a little insulted by the implication - that he’d be so selfish as to confess to Mako-chan _now_ , when...

His mind shies off the end of that sentence. 

Makoto always liked to see him smile. So he’ll smile.

He pushes the door open and beams his widest, like it doesn’t hurt him to see Mako-chan hooked up to so many machines. 

“Hey, Mako-chan,” he says, and his voice doesn’t even falter. “Did you miss me?”


	26. For Their Own Good

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” mutters Nitori.

“Eh? Why? It’s for their own good - you even said so!” Nagisa holds up his prize with a grin. “Besides, I already got Rin-chan’s key.”

Nitori stares at the object for a minute before he starts spluttering. “ _How_ -”

“I got it when I hugged him earlier,” says Nagisa. “Come on, let’s hurry. We don’t want to get caught!”

Bending, he unlocks Rin’s desk, and opens it with a flourish. “Now, look for anything about Haru-chan, and then we’ll start thinking about how to get them together...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://distant-glory.tumblr.com/post/59510667489/bleeding-shortcake-distant-glory
> 
> Such explanations as can exist.


	27. Public Places

Gou leaned against the wall and willed her hot cheeks to cool. _I didn’t need to see that!_

“Kou-san? Did you find Nagisa-kun and Makoto-sempai?” asked Rei

“They’re in the locker room, but -”

“I’ll go get them.” 

“Wait!”

Too late. Gou cringed. 

Rei emerged again a few moments later, his face bright red.

“...I think we should let them be,” offered Gou.

“I agree.” 

As he passed her, Gou heard him mutter, “That is a _public_ place.”

Gou sighed. Managers should _not_ have to lecture team members (and especially not _captains_ ) about appropriate places to make out.


	28. The Benefits of Hugs

Haru is unenthusiastic about most things, but he’s _particularly_ unenthusiastic about being the one that Nagisa pounces on to prove the benefits of hugs. 

“Get off me.”

Nagisa retreats and pouts. Rei, the opposing side, looks smug.

“Maybe Haru isn’t the best test subject,” offers Makoto, caught between amusement and pity.

The way that Nagisa’s face lights up makes Makoto feel warm - but also wary. He’s been involved in too many incidents where that face preceded getting them all into trouble.

In this case, all it precedes is him getting a lapful of nuzzling blond. 

He can live with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nagisa won that argument.


	29. Meet the Family

Makoto greets Nagisa’s arrival with the kind of relief usually reserved for the final school bell, springing up from his seat and putting Nagisa between him and his predators.

Nagisa’s sisters give their best innocent looks.

“Mako-chan, why don’t you wait outside? I’ll be out in a minute,” Nagisa says, glaring accusingly at his demonic siblings. Makoto beats an unashamedly hasty retreat.

“You’re no fun, Nagi-chan,” chides Hamako.

“We weren’t going to _eat_ him,” says Yoshie.

“Just nibble on him a little bit,” completes Sango.

Nagisa resolves to check Mako-chan for bite marks at the first opportunity.


	30. Puns

It was inevitable that Nagisa’s energetic way of moving would catch up with him. They’re descending from the roof when the blond yelps in alarm. Makoto turns and opens his arms in time to catch the younger boy as he falls, flailing frantically.

“Are you alright, Nagisa?” he asks anxiously. 

“Fine,” says Nagisa. Then he giggles. “I guess that was pretty appropriate, really.”

Makoto blinks. “Huh?”

“Because I _fell_ for you,” said Nagisa, grinning widely.

Even though it was an absolutely _awful_ pun - he can hear Rei groaning, and he _knows_ that Haru’s expression has become noticeably irritated - Makoto blushes.


	31. By Your Side

When Gou calls the time, Haru just flips onto his back and floats while everyone else gets out. Nagisa gets towels and joins Makoto at the edge of the pool.

“I think he’s a merman,” he announces.

“He doesn’t have a tail,” says Makoto.

“He doesn’t need one.” Haru proves this by diving beneath the surface, knifing to the bottom.

Nagisa tugs up Makoto’s arm and tucks himself into his side.

“Don’t you have a train to catch?” asks the older boy.

“There’s a later one. I’ll catch that.”

Makoto hums contentedly, and his arm tightens slightly around Nagisa’s waist.


	32. Torn

Haru digs a familiar T-shirt out of the clean laundry pile and hands it over, and Makoto pulls it over his head with a sigh of relief.

“Thanks, Haru,” he says.

His best friend just _looks_ at him, wordlessly demanding to know why Makoto had turned up shirtless on his doorstep.

Reluctantly, Makoto digs into his backpack, pulls out the shirt he’d been wearing at the start of his date, and holds it up. Haru’s eyebrows rise as he spots the rip that runs from collar to hem. Makoto’s face heats. He looks down.

“Nagisa’s pretty enthusiastic,” he mumbles.


	33. Living Dangerously

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Animal!AU.

Nagisa’s parents always told him to never speak to other species. But they also told him to stay still during the molt, which had been unendurably boring.

Besides, Makoto was the most un-orca-like orca that Nagisa had ever heard of. 

“So you can’t swim until your new feathers grow in?” asked Makoto, a few days after their first meeting. “How do you eat?”

Nagisa tried not to think about the gnawing pain in his stomach. “I don’t.”

The next day, Makoto brought him fish. Nagisa was pretty sure that - species difference aside - this was what love felt like.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rockhopper penguins molt over a period of about 25 days. During this time they do not swim, and thus cannot eat. They stand in one place for hours in order to conserve energy, but they still lose about 40% of their body fat during this time. The more you know!


	34. Unknown Factors

Rei concluded long ago that from strictly objective point of view, the relationship that exists between Nagisa-kun and Makoto-sempai simply should not work.

Makoto-sempai is conscientious and nurturing, naturally drawn to those who need some kind of care (his close friendship with Haruka-sempai is a primary example). Nagisa-kun, meanwhile, is uninhibited but resilient, meeting all (numerous) difficulties with energetic independence. He will seek help but he rarely _requires_ it.

Logic does not account for the evident stability of their relationship. Unknown factors are clearly at play. 

Rei resolves to observe until he discovers what they are.


	35. Slang

Rin has a habit of using English when he addresses the Iwatobi team - usually, judging by Rei’s frown, to insult them.

Today, whatever Rin had called Haru made Rei turn bright red and splutter.

While Haru and Makoto watch the resulting argument, Nagisa leafs through the dictionary he brings when he knows they’re going to see Rin. 

“Here it is!” he exclaims, five minutes in. “ _Mate_ , informal, a person’s spouse or sexual partner...” He snaps the dictionary shut with a grin. “I knew it!”

Rin covers his face with one hand and mutters something about Australians and their _bloody slang_.


	36. Double Act

The reconciliation with Rin, which culminates in an impromptu pool party, brings out Nagisa’s childish side even more than usual.

“Guys, look at me!” He leaps from the edge, arms outstretched like bird’s wings - and hits the water in a spectacular bellyflop. Curled into a ball around his stomach, he surfaces slowly, and his expression of stunned pain invites sympathy.

“You’re an idiot,” says Haru, at exactly the same time that Rin says, “You dumbass.”

Finding the unintentional double act hilarious doesn’t stop Nagisa from paddling weakly over to Makoto and demanding that his boyfriend kiss his reddened belly better.


	37. Beware the Nice Ones

“ _Enough_.”

Makoto usually has a self-effacing manner that makes people forget that he’s over six feet tall and well-muscled. 

Usually.

The two Samezuka team members who decided to give Rei a hard time look like they want to run. Fast.

“Mikoshiba-san,” says Makoto, as the Samezuka captain comes up behind him, “I think that these two could use a lesson in manners.”

As Mikoshiba wordlessly hauls the offenders away, Makoto seems to shrink again - returning to his quiet, non-offensive persona as he checks on Rei.

No one bothers any Iwatobi member for the rest of practice.


	38. Touch

Nagisa always instinctively seeks to get closer, and it’s very distracting.

When the contact is minimal, it’s harmless enough. If you ruffle his hair, Nagisa will push back against your hand. If you touch his arm, he’ll lean into you.

If you have him in your lap and you’re tracing the length of his spine, he’ll squirm closer like he’s trying to share your skin.

It isn’t until Makoto drops his head and gasps into the space between Nagisa’s neck and shoulder - and feels the laughter vibrating in Nagisa’s chest - that he considers that the distractions might have been deliberate.


	39. Come To Me

The first time that Nagisa seeks Makoto out, Coach Sasabe roars at him for leaping onto Makoto’s back while they’re standing on the pool deck. Nagisa looks at his feet and apologizes, but gives Makoto a bright grin as soon as coach’s back is turned.

It dispels any lingering thoughts that Nagisa mistook him for someone else.

Makoto can’t help but look at Haru, slipping through the water. Makoto really cares about his best friend - but he always has to go to Haru. Haru never comes to him.

Being sought out - instead of the seeker - makes Makoto feel all warm.


	40. Argument

The verbal component of the argument has ended. Now, Nagisa and Haru are staring at one another, waiting for the other to break eye contact. 

Makoto wonders if he can sneak away, but he isn’t that lucky. Nagisa and Haru turn to him simultaneously. 

Makoto screws his eyes shut. They’re his friends. He owes them honesty.

“ _IthinkNagisaisright_ ,” he blurts.

Total silence. Then Nagisa leaps up with a whoop.

“I told you!” he declares, pointing at Haru.

Haru just gives Makoto a betrayed look. Makoto’s shoulders hunch and he wonders how long it will be before his best friend forgives him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They were arguing over the best flavour of ice cream.


	41. Bubble Wrap

“...bubble wrap?”

Nagisa, sitting cross-legged on Makoto’s bed, just grins. “It will help you relax, Mako-chan.”

Hesitantly, Makoto pinches one of the blisters. The little _pop_ makes Nagisa’s fingers twitch, but he holds himself back. It’s _Mako-chan’s_ bubble wrap, after all.

Besides, he cut himself a piece before he wrapped the rest up.

The popping picks up speed as Makoto relaxes - Nagisa can see the tension draining out of his shoulders. By the time Makoto reaches the end of the sheet, he’s smiling again, eyes crinkling at the corners.

Nagisa congratulates himself on a job well done.


	42. Disinfectant

Nagisa tries to scoot backwards when he sees the disinfectant.

“We don’t know where her claws have been,” says Makoto gently. “It will only sting a little bit.” 

Nagisa looks like he’d rather risk the infection.

Makoto sighs. 

The kiss is a bit clumsy, since he has to worry about pressing the cloth over the right place, but Nagisa freezes even though their noses are squashed together.

Makoto pulls back and checks his handiwork. Perfect; he managed to get every scratch.

He puts down the cloth and gives Nagisa another kiss; a proper one this time.

“That’s for being good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nagisa should curb the enthusiasm of his petting. Kittens have their limits.


	43. Diet

They should have known something was up when Rei arrived at lunch looking even more serious than usual. 

His gaze locked immediately on Nagisa. “Your diet is not appropriate for a swimmer.”

Nagisa hunched protectively over his piece of shortcake. “It has eggs! It has strawberries! It’s fine, Rei-chan!”

“Not with that amount of sugar in it, it isn’t!” Rei lunged, but Nagisa had already leaped away.

“You’re not getting my cake!”

“It’s for your own good, Nagisa-kun!”

Makoto watched the chase and wondered if he should stop them. 

“Don’t,” says Haru, answering his unspoken thought. “It’s funny.”


	44. Simpler

“I don’t _get_ it,” says Nagisa, chin resting on Makoto’s head. 

Makoto doesn’t have to ask what he means. Despite the reconciliation, there’s still tension between Rin and Haru. Makoto would be concerned, except that he figured out the reason a while ago. 

“They’ll sort it out,” he says. 

“But the sexual tension is _killing_ me,” whines Nagisa. “Why haven’t they just made out yet?”

Makoto chokes, then blushes. “Not everyone is as direct as you.” 

Nagisa’s arms wind around his neck. “Didn’t it make things simpler, though?”

Makoto half-turns so that Nagisa can kiss him. “Yeah, it did.”


	45. Impossible

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Teaser for another fic idea I've had kicking around since...about episode 3. Rin and Haru are shapeshifting mermen, and despite the tension between them Rin gets called in to help when Haru transforms for the first time.

Okay, it might have been weird - _impossible_ , as Rei kept babbling - but really, Nagisa felt that it explained a lot. Haru and Rin had always been in a class of their own; why shouldn’t they turn out to secretly be mermen?

Nagisa had already discovered that Haru’s dolphin tail felt like wet velvet. Briefly. If Haru hadn’t smacked him away, he would have spent much longer stroking it.

His brief poke of Rin’s red-tinged shark tail gets him a bleeding finger.

“That’s not fair!” Nagisa protests. “Even your skin bites!”

Rin just grins, showing off those finally explicable teeth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sharks have tiny backwards-pointing teeth on their skin called 'dermal denticles' - so you'd cut yourself if you were to stroke them the wrong way. These dermal denticles help to reduce drag in the water, since completely smooth skin would have random vortices form on it. (You should run a Google image search, because dermal denticles look really cool.)
> 
> Dolphin skin has microscopic grooves on it, presumably for the same purpose.


	46. Wait

The morning after Truth or Dare, Haru kicked Makoto and Nagisa out of the house.

“Go talk,” he said, and shut the door in their faces. 

So they’d wandered down to the park, and when Makoto sat down under a tree, Nagisa wrapped Makoto’s arms around him like a jacket. He hummed happily. 

“This is nice,” he said.

Makoto smiled. “It is.”

“I’ve liked you since we were kids, you know.” 

“That long?” 

“Mmm.” 

When Makoto leaned down, Nagisa’s hair tickled his nose. It smelled like strawberries.

“Thank you for waiting,” he said, and pressed a kiss to Nagisa’s ear.


	47. Catch

Seated on the locker room bench Nagisa tipped his head back and groaned. Goro-chan had been _brutal_ today, making them swim lap after lap and roaring at them to correct the littlest mistakes.

“Nagisa?” Makoto was standing in the doorway. “Aren’t you coming?”

“I can’t,” moaned Nagisa. But he tried anyway, because Makoto had the keys in his hand and had to lock up.

Nagisa managed to take two steps before his wobbly legs collapsed under him. Mako-chan caught him, of course.

“You really are tired,” he said, with his gentle chuckle. “Come on, let’s get you outside.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay in posting this one, internet connection was just not a thing that was happening last night.


	48. Weight Training

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dedicated to Aislashu, who very kindly offered up this headcanon for me to use. (If you guys have any of your own, or just something you'd like to see in this collection, feel free to contact me and I'll see what I can do.)

“ _Please_ , Mako-chan?” 

Someone with two younger siblings probably should have been better able to resist those pleading eyes, especially on a boy only one year younger and just as physically fit. Nagisa couldn’t be _that_ tired.

But Makoto gave in without a fight, kneeling so that Nagisa could climb onto his back.

Haru was giving him a look that said _you indulge him too much_ , and Rei was sporting a similarly disapproving expression. Makoto just shrugged the best he could with Nagisa’s arms wrapped around his shoulders.

“It’s almost weight training,” he said.

Nagisa roused enough to smack him.


	49. Comfort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to Tumblr user keropamyupamyu, who gave me this headcanon.

When Makoto came in, Nagisa was sitting on his bed with his knees drawn up to his chest, looking almost as angry as upset. When Makoto sat down beside him, Nagisa said nothing. 

Makoto set the carton of strawberry ice cream and a spoon in front of him.

“Here,” he said. “I thought you could use some cheering up.” Nagisa turned to look at him. Makoto smiled and brushed a bit of hair out of Nagisa’s face. “You worried me when you left so quickly after school.” 

Nagisa set the carton down carefully before he tackled Makoto and kissed him.


	50. Guilt

“Don’t you feel bad?”

Nagisa blinked and looked up. “Eh?” He didn’t know the girl standing in front of him; well, didn’t know her name, at least. She looked vaguely familiar. “Bad about what?”

“Seducing Tachibana-senpai away from Nanase-senpai,” clarified the girl. “Don’t you feel bad?”

“Huh? What - no - Haru-chan and Mako-chan are just friends!” 

Nagisa had always tried really hard not to be jealous of how close his two oldest friends were. But there was always that niggling doubt -

The girl gave him a pitying look.

Nagisa felt sick for the rest of the afternoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not necessarily connected to the previous chapter, though you could interpret it that way, I guess.


	51. Rude

It all happened so suddenly - the comment, Nagisa leaping up and throwing his drink in the waitress’s face, and then being kicked out of the restaurant - that Makoto didn’t really know what to feel.

“Mako-chan?” 

Nagisa was peering at him anxiously, braced for anger. 

“She was really rude,” Makoto allowed.

There was a moment of silence. Then they were leaning against one another for support as they laughed like idiots.

“You realize that they’ll never let us back in there?” said Makoto, wiping tears from his eyes.

Nagisa just grabbed Makoto’s hand.

“Who cares? Let’s go get ice cream.”


	52. Movie Night

“Mako-chan?”

The lump under the blankets didn’t move.

“I turned off the movie. You can come out now.”

Makoto shook his head violently. 

“I don’t think a blanket would stop a serial killer, Mako-chan.”

There was a squeak of pure terror from beneath the blanket, but nothing else.

Nagisa sighed. Finding an edge, he tugged it up and leaped, landing squarely on his boyfriend and knocking the wind out of them both.

“If you won’t come out,” panted Nagisa. “I’ll just have to come in.”

Judging by the way that Makoto pulled him close, that was perfectly fine.


	53. Storm

Makoto is already awake when Nagisa thrashes out of his bed at the sound of the thunder, and he doesn’t even pretend he was sleeping when Nagisa crawls over to his futon and puts a shaking hand on his shoulder. In the lightning flashes, Nagisa’s eyes are overbright.

As Makoto tugs the blankets aside so that Nagisa can burrow eagerly in beside him, he wonders if this is the first storm-triggered nightmare Nagisa has had. 

Probably not, and Makoto is horribly, guiltily glad. At least he isn’t alone.

Trembling in the dark, they wait for the storm to end.


	54. Patience

Nagisa has been patient. He’s learned the hard way that their friends counted as ‘public’, and any attempt to show Mako-chan affection would result in blushing avoidance. But if he waited until they were alone...

So he waited. Except Haru-chan is ruining his plans, because he’s also waiting while Mako-chan locks up after practice.

Nagisa folds his arms. Haru-chan looks at him, briefly, then leaves - as though he meant to all along. 

And even if Nagisa isn’t sure whether that was a smile or a smirk, he resolves to do something nice for Haru-chan soon.


	55. Crime

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay, guys. There was stuff. And by 'stuff', I mean 'four of my fandoms had new things and I got distracted'. Hopefully it won't happen again, or at least I'll warn you before I vanish.

The police officer’s cap is lopsided on Nagisa’s head, but frankly Makoto had been expecting something like this when Nagisa had turned up with that bag from the costume store.

“You’re under arrest for being too cute,” declares Nagisa. He’d found a pair of plastic handcuffs as well as the cap. “Now put your hands where I can hold them.”

Makoto meekly extends his hand. Nagisa snaps one ring of the handcuffs around each of their wrists and grins. “Gotcha,” he says, somewhere between sunny and smug.

It’s probably a crime to kiss your arresting officer. Makoto does it anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember what I said about Nagisa probably having a hundred terrible pick-up lines stashed away? Yeah. (Based on a Tumblr post.)


	56. Choke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the long delay, guys. There was work and academia, and they are demanding mistresses. I sincerely hope that that will be the last departure from this fic's drabble-a-day schedule.

It was Nagisa who volunteered; of course it was. Despite the bottle of water he’d brought, Rei declined (at length) to be the first to take a bite. Makoto regarded it with suspicion. Haru eyed it narrowly and edged it away with the tip of one finger. 

Which left Nagisa, who rose to the challenge and took a large bite - and immediately began choking.

Water was hastily administered, and as Nagisa, breathing hard, leaned into Makoto’s supporting arm, Haru wordlessly dropped the food in the bin.

One thing was for sure: melon bread was permanently off the swim club’s menu.


	57. Sick

Makoto had expected Haru. Collecting assignments was just part of what you did when your best friend was sick, after all.

The others, though, were a surprise. A noisy surprise: Rin and Rei had taken over the Xbox and Haru was distracting Rin with intermittent nudges. Gou’s scoldings were, for once, falling on deaf ears - but she persisted with typical Matsuoka stubbornness.

Nagisa had curled himself up at Makoto’s side and was giggling at the scene in front of him.

Feverish though he was, it was easy for Makoto to conclude that he had the best friends (and boyfriend) ever.


	58. Creative Solutions

He really should have known better than to tell Nagisa that it was too hot to cuddle. Makoto had expected the pout and the puppy-dog eyes, but the shrewd, narrow concentration was unexpected.

So was the bucket of water that Nagisa reappeared with and dumped over Makoto’s head. Makoto yelped, “ _Nagisa!_ ” as he began to shiver.

“There,” said Nagisa with satisfaction. Setting the bucket down, he draped himself over Makoto again.

It was impossible to stay angry, and Makoto gave into his urge to laugh. There was no one like Nagisa for coming up with creative solutions to obstacles.


	59. Gag Gift

“No.”

“Haru, it’s cold out there,” said Makoto patiently. “You need a hat, or you’ll catch a cold.”

Haru’s blank stare said that he’d risk it.

But Makoto hadn’t spent years playing babysitter-best-friend to Haru for nothing. By the time they left the house, the hat was on Haru’s head.

Nagisa took one look at it and doubled over laughing. Rei just looked concerned. 

“Haruka-sempai, your hat appears to be eating your head.”

Haru’s mouth compressed as he tried - futilely - to tuck the stupid teeth-like fringe out of sight.

He was definitely going to kill Rin.


	60. Thirst for Perfection

“I wish you two would stop using me as a human shield,” said Makoto plaintively. 

“Haru-chan wouldn’t let me hide behind him,” said Nagisa. His pout was audible.

“Your best friend,” said Haru flatly.

“Not when he’s like this!”

Makoto could see their point. In the grip of his thirst for perfection, Rei could be either funny or scary. This was definitely one of the scary times. 

Especially since he was brandishing a wet comb like a weapon, clearly determined to do something about Nagisa’s curls and Haru’s fringe.

With a sigh, Makoto braced himself. Here they went again...


	61. Chances

Nagisa knew his chances of attracting Makoto’s attention were small. Taking care of Haru seemed to take up all the older boy’s mind. But it wasn’t in Nagisa’s nature to admit defeat, and he continued to try. Elaborate methods, he soon learned, didn’t get him what he wanted. 

Pocky, however, did. Nagisa worried for a minute about whether he should have gotten chocolate rather than strawberry, but when Makoto finished nibbling his piece, he smiled his warmest smile.

“Thanks, Nagisa,” he said. “I needed that.”

Nagisa grinned, warm and triumphant. Maybe he did have a chance against Haru-chan-sitting, after all...


	62. Reappearance

Makoto knew, as soon as Nagisa reappeared in a bubbly blond tornado of energy, that things were going to be crazier. It was surely no coincidence that they managed to get into major trouble twice in a week.

The fact that Nagisa was not at all subdued by this only served to convince Makoto that this chaotic state of affairs was going to be the new norm.

If he had been asked previously, Makoto would have said that he didn’t need any more excitement in his life.

But that didn’t explain how quickly he fell in with Nagisa’s crazy plans...


	63. Bias

It wouldn’t have been a problem if Gou hadn’t recruited some of her friends. There had been a lot more interest in the swim team this year, and Makoto hadn’t thought twice when he saw their manager in huddled discussion with two other girls - assuming that they were there to assist Gou with the organizational side of the club.

Assumed, that is, until Nagisa had passed the little group, paused a moment, and then announced far too loudly, “Mako-chan’s ass is better!”

It was hard to say whose faces were redder - Makoto’s, or that of Gou and her friends.


	64. Outing

“Nagisa-kun, please remove your face from the glass.”

Nagisa did - but only long enough to sing-song, “Rei-chan is being a downer again!”

Rei spluttered. “I - that is _not_ the correct way to look at the penguins!”

Makoto sighed. When Rin had casually hung himself off Haru at the start of this outing, he’d thought that maybe they wouldn’t cause a scene during this trip. 

He was about to reassure Rei when Nagisa tugged at his hand.

“Look, Mako-chan! There’s a little one!”

Makoto smiled. Nagisa’s unbridled enthusiasm for his favorite animals was adorable. “I see it...”


	65. Reaper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another teaser for a future fic. Be warned - this one is quite dark.

The three of them huddled in the dark between-space, safe for the first time since the thing had attacked. No one spoke; there was only a faint rustle as Rei probed the graze on his head. 

“Is it bad?” ventured Gou.

“No,” said Rei shortly. “The bleeding has stopped.”

Then Nagisa said, “We left everyone behind.” 

“We had no choice,” said Gou. “If we’d stayed...” She broke off, voice cracking. “If we’d stayed...”

“We would also have died,” said Rei flatly. 

Nagisa hugged his knees a little tighter and stared out into darkness. “Maybe that would have been better.”


	66. Just a Little...Pull?

It was so easy. Bubbling with laughter, Nagisa pushed himself backwards, out of the way of Makoto’s tumbling bulk. He’d expected it to be harder, but one quick tug at Mako-chan’s ankle and - _splash!_

Well, he couldn’t leave a friend to stand on the edge and miss all the fun, could he? And for all Mako-chan’s adorable fussing and fretting, he only needed a little push to join in.

Or pull, as the case may be.

And if Makoto had to tear off his soaking blazer and school shirt as a result...well. That was just a bonus.


	67. Wilful Misunderstanding

“Nagisa is staring at you again.”

Makoto froze. “Huh?” 

Haru gave him a ‘don’t play stupid’ look, which Makoto thought was unfair. He wasn’t playing stupid. Or stupid at all. He was just...confused. Nagisa? Staring at - wait, again?

“He’s done this before?” 

Haru just _looked_. “This is the fifth time.” 

“Oh.” Mechanically, Makoto resumed toweling his hair. That was...odd. Especially since there was Rei, now, Nagisa’s new best friend...

Haru was still _looking_.

Makoto forced a chuckle and a shrug. “It’s Nagisa. Who knows why he’s doing it?”

As he turned away, he thought he heard Haru sigh.


	68. The Language of Smiles

Nagisa had a smile for every occasion.

There was the, ‘I have a great idea’ smile - which inevitably preceded squabbles or trouble or both.

There was the, ‘I know that I am adorable and I am using it to manipulate you’ smile - one that Makoto saw constantly and still hadn’t developed any resistance to.

There was the, ‘I am only sorry that I have been caught please don’t kill me’ smile - usually following another scheme that had ended (or been ended) prematurely.

But the one that Makoto liked best was the quieter, smaller, shyer smile that said ‘I love you’.


	69. Leading the Blind

“Come on,” said Makoto kindly. “It’s not much further.” Another gentle tug, and Nagisa found himself stumbling forward again.

He hated blindfolds. 

“Careful - there’s a step here,” said Makoto. “Lift your feet - there you go.” He pulled his hands out of Nagisa’s grasp, and Nagisa flailed.

“Mako-chan -!”

“It’s okay, Nagisa.” There was a soft rustle, and then he could feel Makoto undoing the knot at the back of his head. Off came the cloth, and - 

Nagisa took one look at the penguin quilt cover now adorning his bed, and flung himself into Makoto’s arms. “Mako-chan, I love it!”


	70. Lonely

Things fell apart after Rin left. It took a bit of time, but once Haru-chan stopped showing up at practice, the end was inevitable. Mako-chan tried to keep going for a while, but his heart wasn’t in it without his best friend.

And then Nagisa was alone again. 

People found him hard to deal with - everybody said so. He was loud and stubborn and annoyingly cheerful. It never stopped Nagisa from trying to make friends, but they always seemed to leave in the end.

Even, though they’d lasted the longest, Rin-chan and Haru-chan and Mako-chan...


	71. Escalation

“Well,” said Rin, “that escalated quickly.”

He unfolded his arms - just in time to catch the back of Haru’s jacket as he moved towards the pool.

Haru didn’t struggle, but he did lean all his weight against Rin’s grip. “Let me go.”

“Depends. Are you going to kill them for ‘defiling the water’?”

Pause. “...No.”

Rin huffed a laugh. “Just do one of your flying leaps. That’ll break ‘em up.” 

“...Fine.”

Rin let go. Haru shed his clothing and leaped. There a loud yelp from Makoto and Nagisa.

Rin laughed. Served them right for making out in the school pool.


	72. Uptake

Makoto was not slow on the uptake. He realized that Nagisa _had_ been paying a lot of attention to him. At first, Makoto assumed it was because he would actually listen. Haru had a bad habit of ignoring Nagisa at times.

But then... Nagisa had never had much sense of personal space, but he was attaching himself to Makoto at every opportunity. And his comments had gotten...

 _Flirtatious_ was the only word that Makoto could think of.

He was still holding himself back from the obvious conclusion - despite Haru’s increasing impatience with him. 

After all...what if he was wrong?


	73. Ambush

They ambushed him as soon as he stepped into the house, the three of them moving in eerie synchronization. 

Sango and Yoshie grabbed his arms, brightly painted nails digging into his skin, while Hamako tugged down the collar of her brother’s shirt. Her face fell.

“Wha-at? Still no love bites? What kind of boyfriend do you have anyway, Nagi-chan?”

Nagisa twisted desperately, and the grasping hands slipped just enough for him to pull free. He sprinted for the safety of his room and slammed the door behind him. 

And Makoto wondered why they never stayed at his house...


	74. To The Sticking Place

It was hard for him to even make the request, and Makoto’s face was burning by the time he finished stuttering. He couldn’t even meet Nagisa’s eyes.

Nagisa, however, just giggled. “You don’t have to ask, you know, Mako-chan. You can just do it.”

Makoto’s face flamed hotter. “I-I don’t think I could.”

“Sure you could! Come on, why not try now?”

Makoto licked his lips, screwing up his feeble courage. He shut his eyes and slowly leaned in -

So slowly that Nagisa sighed and grabbed his new boyfriend by the ears to hurry him into the kiss.


	75. Study Session

Makoto peered down at the page in the text. 

“I still think that you should have asked Rei for help,” he said, trying to remember when he’d learned this. With Nagisa breathing in his ear, he wasn’t having much luck.

“Rei-chan is good at maths but bad at explaining,” said Nagisa. “Then he gets mad at me when I tell him to use small words.”

That was all too easy to picture. Maybe Nagisa had made the right choice.

Or - given Makoto’s reluctance to let Nagisa drape himself all over him in public - maybe this was just another excuse...


	76. Gratitude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follows chapter 46.

Haru was in the bath when Makoto came back.

“I told you to go talk,” said Haru, not looking up.

“We did talk,” said Makoto. “He had to catch the train home.” He paused. “Haru...thanks.”

“You two were annoying.” Haru’s tone conveyed exactly what he’d thought of Nagisa’s flirting and Makoto’s refusal to acknowledge it - to say nothing of the wistful glances that Makoto sent Nagisa when he thought no one was looking.

Makoto pouted a little. “Be nice, Haru.”

Haru flicked water at him. “You were being a baby.” 

But there was a faint smile on his face.


	77. With Friends Like These...

Rei’s appearance meant the end of the date. Mako-chan was just too nice for his own good; he’d invite Rei along, and that was hardly what Nagisa had planned. But maybe he could pay Rei back a little, first...

Rei saw the danger too late.

“STALKER!” shouted Nagisa, pointing straight at his exposed friend. 

Running was the worst possible thing to do. Rei did it anyway. 

As several eager members of the crowd gave chase, Makoto sighed. “I don’t think you should have done that.” 

“He shouldn’t have followed us,” said Nagisa self-righteously. “C’mon, let’s go help him.”


	78. Kitchen Disaster

“I don’t think we should give this to Haru,” said Makoto, peering over Nagisa’s shoulder. The fish on the plate definitely looked the worse for wear. 

Nagisa gave a nervous-sounding laugh. “We may not have a choice...”

Makoto looked down. Through the tousled blond curls, Nagisa was definitely looking edgy. “What do you -”

“I told Haru-chan that we’d make him dinner tonight...”

Makoto glanced at the clock. It was past five. And wasn’t that the sound of an opening door? 

Still clutching the spatula, Nagisa whispered, “We’re doomed.”

Given the state of the kitchen, Makoto had to agree.


	79. Snowballs

The snowball hit the back of Nagisa’s head, exploding into powdery fragments. Eyes narrowed in calculation, the blond whirled, hunting for his unexpected opponent.

Then they widened as he found Makoto, who had already scooped up another handful of snow. He was red-cheeked from the cold and grinning, and Nagisa was momentarily frozen with how...well, _pretty_ he looked.

The second snowball striking his shoulder jolted him out of that train of thought - though Makoto’s warm laughter softened the blow a bit.

With a grin of his own, Nagisa grabbed for the snow. This was going to be _fun_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As Iwatobi is a coastal town, it is unlikely to get snow. I think. So they're...elsewhere.


	80. Always Check the Fine Print

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, another preview. Merman!AU, mostly - Rin's human. (Side note: do you guys enjoy these previews? Because sometimes I feel like I'm cheating a bit by including them. If you don't like them I'll stop.)

It took time to talk Nagisa back into his semi-humanoid form, and when he did change back, Makoto pulled him into a relieved hug.

“Is Rin...” Nagisa trailed off.

“He’ll be fine,” said Makoto quietly, trying not to think about the bloody stump of Rin’s finger.

Nagisa buried his face in Makoto’s shoulder.

Makoto tried to think of words that wouldn’t fall flat. It wasn’t Nagisa’s fault; no one had heard anything about the side-effects of the shifting ring. But it all felt unconvincing.

So Makoto just held onto his friend and waiting for Nagisa’s guilt to abate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long story short, the ring that let Rin shapeshift kinda turned him a bit...crazy. And Haru kinda had to get the ring off him, so...well, I'm sure you can fill in the gaps.


	81. Cold Iron

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another preview. Fantasy!AU, anyone? Also, more angst. (I really seem to like putting Nagisa through the wringer...)

Makoto hoped he was wrong.

Nagisa appeared around the corner, waving cheerfully. His collections of bangles jingled on his arm as he jogged up. 

And paused, brow furrowing.

Makoto swallowed. He’d been right.

Nagisa’s eyes travelled slowly downwards, to Makoto’s clenched fist. Just as slowly, Makoto opened his fingers to reveal the iron amulet.

Nagisa went pale. 

Feeling cold and sick, Makoto turned away. 

“Mako -” There was a note of desperation in Nagisa’s voice.

“Don’t.” Makoto took a ragged breath. “Just leave. You - Your kind aren’t welcome here.”

He didn’t hear anything - but when turned around, the fairy had gone.


	82. One Year

When Makoto sat down on the edge of the bed, Nagisa uncurled himself to crawl into Makoto’s lap. 

They sat in silence, until Nagisa said, “I don’t want you to go away again.” 

Guilt settled heavy in Makoto’s stomach. “You won’t be alone,” he said, trying to be encouraging. “Rei will be here, and Gou, and Ai...”

“But Haru-chan and Rin-chan will be gone.” Nagisa’s grip tightened. “And you’ll be gone.”

A year, after all, was a long time to be apart. 

“I’ll come back as often as I can,” said Makoto, and yielded to Nagisa’s desperate kiss.


	83. Bail

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another fic preview - probably the last one for this collection. Another ending!AU setting.

“ _Again?_ ”

Makoto cringes and nods. With a sigh, Nagisa pushes off the fountain rim. 

“He needs a watcher,” says the dancer as they turn towards the temple.

“Maybe we can ask the guards to just...not let him in,” suggests Makoto.

“Could they stop him?”

Nagisa and Makoto look at one another. Haruka _does_ have a way of just...appearing...in strange places. Places that he shouldn’t be able to get into.

Makoto shivers. “We’ll just have to explain that the ponds are sacred.”

He and Nagisa really can’t afford to keep paying Haruka’s way out of the temple cell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've tentatively chosen pre-Roman Nabatea as a setting basis for my ending!AU fics. Their fertility goddess, Atargatis, appears in mermaid form in several temples, and there were often fish ponds on temple grounds. There was also apparently a dolphin motif in the decorating - which I find particularly interesting, given that Nabatea (though a trade centre) was a landlocked nation...


	84. Search History

“We only have one computer,” Makoto says. “And I can’t look for...that.” It’s hard to say which would be worse - having to explain himself to the twins, or having to explain himself to his parents. 

“Maybe we could borrow Haru-chan’s computer...?” Nagisa suggests, hesitantly. Given his three invasive older sisters, it was never an option that the blond run the search. “He doesn’t have to worry about parents or siblings...” 

“Maybe.” 

They won’t; they both know it.

A search history that boils down to ‘gay sex: how to’ is too much to ask even of a best friend.


	85. Making Exceptions

Makoto’s first thought, when the boys call out to Nagisa, is that they must be friends from a previous school; Makoto can’t imagine Nagisa _not_ making friends wherever he goes. 

Except that rather than reacting with delight and rushing over, Nagisa’s shoulders hunch up. He pretends not to hear; tries to hustle Haru and Makoto away. And the second time the boys call, Makoto hears the derision in their voices.

It sparks something in him - something hot and fierce.

Makoto usually finds it hard to hate; forgiveness comes more naturally to him.

But in this case...he’ll make an exception.


	86. Alarm

Five minutes after the alarm goes off, most of the students are out of the school. Makoto is glad of his height; he cranes his neck, searching for Nagisa’s curly blond hair in the milling crowd and the few students still trickling out the door. 

Haru nudges him in the ribs. “He’s fine.”

Makoto winces. He knows; it _is_ Nagisa, after all. “I’ll feel better when he’s here, that’s all.”

“It’s probably his fault.”

“Haru! That’s a horrible thing to say...” Except that this is the time that Nagisa and Rei would be in their chemistry class...

Makoto’s heart sinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It totally was Nagisa's fault.


	87. Genius

Nagisa is sulking on the steps when Makoto finds him, curled up with an impressive pout on his lips. 

Makoto sits down beside him. “You did your best,” he soothes. “But Rei’s made up his mind. And it’s not like you can entice him into this...”

Nagisa’s eyes widen, and bounces to his feet. “That’s it!”

Makoto’s stomach sinks. “Nagisa, wait -”

He doesn’t get any further. By the time Nagisa breaks the kiss, Makoto is feeling dazed. The blond grins at him and dashes off.

It’s several seconds before Makoto can lurch to his feet and take off in pursuit.


	88. Glass Half Empty

A long walk in the rain was enough to squash most people’s optimism, and Makoto was no exception. By the time he arrived at Nagisa’s house, he was soaked, shivering, and feeling sorry for himself.

Having a towel tossed over his head as soon as he walked through the door didn’t help. Neither did insistent pushing towards destination unknown, or Nagisa’s thoroughly delighted grin.

“What are you smiling about?” asked Makoto, a little less indulgent than usual.

Nagisa tried - and failed - to look innocent. “Well, you have to get out of those wet clothes, Mako-chan! You might catch cold!”


	89. Literality

Makoto arrived on the scene minutes after Nagisa called, and headed up the stairs towards the bathroom.

“Wait!” he heard Nagisa shout as he touched the handle. “Don’t open the -”

Too late. The water bursting through the open door, mid-thigh in height, hit Makoto with enough force to make him stagger. 

When the flood ended, Haru was frowning at the sudden loss of his pool, and Makoto couldn’t think of a single thing to say.

Nagisa touched his shoulder. “When I said that Haru-chan flooded the bathroom,” he said, a hysterical look on his face. “I meant _literally_.”


	90. Now Kiss

After Makoto had hauled Nagisa away, still babbling about Haru’s hidden feelings, Haru refused to meet Rin’s eyes. He was even more stiff than usual.

Rin huffed. He sat, shoulder brushing Haru’s. “Idiot,” he said, with a mixture of exasperation and amusement. “I like you too. Can’t believe you didn’t figure that out.”

Haru’s head jerked up, and he stared at Rin with wide eyes.

From the distance, Nagisa hollered, “NOW KISS!”

Rin gritted his teeth. Haru’s face contorted with irritation.

“Race to catch him?” Rin challenged. “Loser has to buy dinner.”

Haru was already getting to his feet. “Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Well, I had to have at least ONE dedicated Haru/Rin chapter.


	91. Cast Art

When they went to visit Nagisa, Haru produced a handful of markers and tugged his friend’s plastered arm towards him.

Nagisa, who had looked thoroughly miserable at the prospect of eight weeks with no swimming, perked up. “What are you drawing?” he asked, leaning in.

Haru paused only long enough to push Nagisa’s face away. “Don’t look.”

Nagisa pouted, and turned imploring eyes on Makoto. “Haru-chan is _mean_.” 

Makoto just smiled, ruffled Nagisa’s hair gently, and said, “Let him work.”

At last, Haru capped his markers. “There,” he said, quietly satisfied.

Drawn onto Nagisa’s cast was a rockhopper penguin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And then Nagisa nearly brained Haru trying to hug him.


	92. Bribery

Makoto shifted slightly in the nest of soft pillows that his boyfriend had built around him.

“Alright,” he said with good humor. “What do you want from me?”

Beside him, Nagisa rolled on his stomach. “Hmm,” he said, pursing his lips with exaggerated thoughtfulness. “I want...”

“You want?” prompted Makoto, sliding a little further down the bed. Nagisa had apparently been waiting for this, because he draped himself across Makoto like a blanket and giggled.

“I want _you_ , of course.”

Makoto smiled and kissed the tip of Nagisa’s nose. “You know, you don’t have to bribe me to get that...”


	93. Trials

It happens in a flurry: the whistle calling the swimmers forward, then the sharp crack of the starting pistol. The race itself seems to be over in seconds.

“Did he make it?” Gou almost squeals.

“He made it!” Ai points at the screen, supporting his elated bouncing on Rei’s shoulder.

Nagisa hugs Makoto tight enough to bruise, tears on his cheeks as he laughs. Hugging his boyfriend back, Makoto looks over at Haru.

The smile on his friend’s face is the biggest Makoto has ever seen.

Rin is going to the Olympics, and none of them have ever been prouder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, we're one week out from the conclusion of this collection - provided I can stay on schedule. It's been quite the ride! Just reminding you guys that expansion requests are still open.


	94. Restoration

Makoto lifted the lid of the box cautiously. Nagisa had insisted that he open this gift in private - Makoto hoped it wasn’t something he would have to explain to his family.

It wasn’t. Lying at the bottom of the box was a stuffed cat - a _familiar_ stuffed cat.

Makoto lifted her out of the box with trembling hands. Nora’s ears and tail had been torn off by the twins when they were toddlers, and Makoto had cried for days.

He blinked away tears now.

“Yoshie can sew,” said Nagisa, answering the unspoken question.

Makoto engulfed him in a tight hug.


	95. Why Makoto Shouldn't Disappear on Shopping Trips

If Makoto hadn’t tried to hide the bag, Nagisa probably wouldn’t have taken an interest. But he did, and in the resulting struggle, Makoto dropped the bag.

A soft penguin toy bounced out and landed at Nagisa’s feet.

The blond blinked down at it, then up at Makoto. The older boy swallowed, and knelt to pick up the toy. He pressed it into Nagisa’s hands as he stood back up, a blush reddening his cheeks.

“It’s for you,” he mumbled.

He’d barely gotten the words out before Nagisa flung himself onto Makoto’s neck and nuzzled unashamedly. “Mako-chan, thank you!”


	96. Corset

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt given by the gorgeous Vixen of FF.net.

Nagisa yelped as Gou pulled at the laces of the corset.

“That’s too tight, Gou-chan!”

“Kou,” she corrected automatically, peering into the mirror. “No,” she said decisively. “That’s just right. Now finish getting dressed!”

Nagisa did so, drooping miserably. This had seemed like such a good idea...

But when Nagisa made it to the door, Makoto’s jaw dropped, and a blush crept slowly over his face.

“You - look nice,” he managed. 

Nagisa perked up, suddenly much more comfortable in his borrowed dress.

And of course, with the corset, he had the perfect excuse to swoon in Mako-chan’s arms...


	97. Triangles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompted by Remmy. Thanks for being an all-around ego boost, my friend!

Makoto paused in the doorway of his room, the box of pocky he’d brought with him forgotten.

Nagisa waved cheerfully. He’d pulled one of Makoto’s pillows off the bed and laid it down to support his head and neck, then laid himself on the floor with his legs up the bed, head pointing back towards the TV.

“Ah - are you alright?” asked Makoto cautiously. 

“Yep!” Nagisa wriggled at little. “This is comfy.”

To Makoto, it looked like the height of discomfort. But he also thought that spending hours in the bathtub would be boring, and that had never stopped Haru...


	98. Ten Years Later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompted by the adorable fatedrivals of Tumblr - bless you for your recs of this work and your cute headcanons, my friend!

On the morning of their tenth anniversary, Nagisa dropped a pile of shiny travel brochures on the table in front of Makoto with a cheerful, “Let’s get married!”

Makoto choked on his breakfast.

“What the heck?” he managed, once he’d finished coughing.

“Let’s get married!” repeated Nagisa. “I looked up what countries would let us, and I got brochures for all of them.” He pushed the pile towards Makoto. “You can choose!”

Makoto looked down at the pile. Then back up at Nagisa. Then he lunged out of his chair and kissed his now-fiance.

Nagisa didn’t seem to mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I learned many interesting things during the research for this drabble. A slightly longer piece may be forthcoming.


	99. Voice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompted by Wolfingsmeier. Thank you for your encouraging messages during my hiatus!

“Nagisa,” Makoto called softly. “You need to wake up.”

There was a muffled sound, and Nagisa nuzzled harder into Makoto’s chest. After a moment, a further incoherent grumble reinforced it: Nagisa wasn’t moving.

Makoto chuckled. “Come on, Nagisa. It’s halfway to lunch.”

The blond lifted his head slightly. “Stop _buzzing_ , Mako-chan,” he whined.

Makoto raised an eyebrow. “Buzzing?”

Nagisa prodded his boyfriend’s chest. “Buzzing,” he repeated. “Stop it.”

Makoto bit his lip - but stifling the sound didn’t stop the vibrations, and eventually Nagisa rolled off him in disgust, muttering something about buzzing pillows as he settled back into sleep.


	100. Valentine's Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most appropriately prompted by Humanized Serenity. Thank you for your faithful reviewing!

“Valentine’s Day is the _best_ ,” said Nagisa, biting into his chocolate.

“Except that we have to buy _them_ gifts in one month’s time,” said Rei, glumly. “It’s not beautiful...”

“Cheer up!” said Nagisa. Swallowing his mouthful, he rummaged in his bag and tossed small packages to Haru and Rei. “There!”

Rei flushed and spluttered. “ _Girls_ give chocolate on Valentine’s Day, Nagisa-kun!”

Nagisa glared. “It’s friend chocolate!”

“Then why doesn’t Makoto get some?” asked Haru.

Nagisa blushed. The package he handed to Makoto was considerably bigger. 

Makoto blushed in turn, already wondering how to afford an appropriate White Day gift...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In Japan, girls give chocolate to boys on Valentine's Day - most of it is _giri choko_ , obligation chocolate, given to male friends, classmates, co-workers, etc. (There's also _cho giri choko_ , ultra obligation chocolate, for people you really don't want to give chocolate to.) Then there's _honmei choko_ , favourite chocolate, which is often homemade and only given to a special someone. _Tomo choko_ , friend chocolate, is also apparently a thing. (Usually it's girls giving chocolate to their female friends, but I've read of one boy giving it to his friends who didn't have girlfriends.) White Day, the 14th of March, is the day when boys return the favour. Usually the gifts are higher in value than what the girls give the boys. /lesson
> 
> ...and with that, we reach the end of Eighty-Three Percent! I can hardly believe this collection is actually over. Thank you for your support! I hope you had as much fun reading as I did writing. :)
> 
> Expansion requests are still open, if you want to see longer pieces. These will probably begin to crop up in a month or so, and longer projects after that. Hope to see you there!


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